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Tiana sat silently in a doctor's office while her husband, Naveen, played with their five-year-old daughter, Jamie. Jamie shared her daddy’s skin tone, smile, and eye shape, but otherwise, she was the spitting image of her momma, right down to the dimples.
Tiana always felt her daughter was a gift from her late daddy, especially since she shared the same birthday as her granddaddy. Naturally, they named her after him.
Naveen entertained Jamie with his ukulele while she squeezed the stuffed animal her grandma had sewn to look like Ray, her favorite toy in the whole world. Naveen performed a good rendition of "Ma Belle Evangeline," Jamie's favorite song. Her middle name was Evangeline, after all.
Clapping her hands, Jamie asked, "More, Daddy! Sing it again!"
Her daddy shook his head. "Sorry, Tadpole. Daddy's voice 'bout gone from singing nine times already."
Jamie pouted, and Naveen laughed. "Don’t worry, Tadpole. I'll sing it again once my voice comes back. Right now, Mommy needs us to be here for her, okay?"
"Why's Mommy seeing the doctor?" Jamie asked.
"Well, Tadpole, your mommy ain't been feeling too good. The doctor's gon' try to make her better. So, you gotta behave, alright?"
"Yes, Daddy," she replied, going back to playing with her stuffed animal. Tiana smiled for a moment before a frown crossed her pretty face.
"It's gon' be alright, Tiana. Don't worry 'til we got to," Naveen reassured her.
"We lucky the doctor agreed to see me. If it weren't for you and Lottie's influence, I wouldn't even be seen," Tiana said, referring to the discrimination in New Orleans.
Tiana always felt blessed that her best friend, Lottie, and her daddy didn’t care 'bout her being African American. Not everyone was cool with race-mixing, and Tiana knew when to count her blessings. Without her status as a princess and Lottie’s wealth, no doctor would’ve seen her for this—an incredibly terrifying situation.
Finally, the doctor called them into his office. Tiana suddenly wished they'd left Jamie with her grandma. But Eudora was busy sewing a friend's wedding dress and couldn’t watch Jamie.
Eudora couldn't sew and watch Jamie at the same time. Jamie was an energetic, curious, and resourceful little girl. Her momma was already teaching her daughter to work hard—but not so hard she’d neglect other parts of her life.
Facing the gray-haired Dr. Clark, Tiana braced herself for bad news. "I'm afraid it's as we feared, Ms. Tiana. The biopsy showed the lump in your right breast is malignant. This confirms breast cancer."
The only reason Tiana didn’t burst into tears was because Jamie was in the room. She couldn’t break down with her daughter there. At five years old, Jamie didn’t understand life-or-death situations—or even know what the word "cancer" meant. Naveen knew they needed to discuss serious matters with the doctor. Understanding the problem of having a small child in the room, the doctor sent for a nurse.
A cheerful young nurse took Jamie for ice cream while her parents discussed treatment options with the doctor. Dr. Clark suggested scheduling a mastectomy, and hearing that scared the hell out of Tiana. Even Naveen looked sick at the thought of his wife being put under and having her breast removed.
"I know cancer is a nightmare, but this is your best option, Ms. Tiana. The sooner you have the surgery, the better."
"I need time to talk to my family. They deserve to know what's going on before we schedule the surgery. I also need to figure out how to explain this to my daughter."
"Okay, but don’t take longer than a week. Breast cancer progresses fast. But I understand you need to discuss this with your family. Let me know by the weekend when to schedule the surgery. Now, you best get your daughter home. This won't be easy to explain to her."
"Thank you, Dr. Clark. We'll be in touch." The young couple took a deep breath before collecting their daughter. Lottie was waiting outside to take them home.
Even though Big Daddy didn’t think his daughter should be driving, Lottie convinced him she could handle this once. The look on her best friend’s face crushed her soul.
"Aunt Lottie!" Jamie cried, running to her godmother. "Hey, Princess. How you doin' today?" Lottie asked, hugging her goddaughter.
"I got chocolate ice cream!"
"That sounds tasty. Make sure to buckle up, sweetheart."
"Okay, Aunt Lottie!"
Lottie wanted to ask Tiana about the diagnosis but knew better than to ask in front of Jamie. So, she drove them back to the restaurant where the couple lived in an apartment overhead.
They told Jamie to play in her room while the grown-ups talked. The little girl obediently headed to her room, knowing it was boring grownup stuff. Once her door was shut, Lottie asked the dreaded question: "It's bad news, ain't it, Tia?"
"Yes, Dr. Clark confirmed I got cancer," Tiana finally broke into tears. Lottie hugged her tight, saying over and over it was gonna be okay.
"Don't worry 'bout the surgery cost, Tia. Big Daddy and I will cover it and any other medical expenses. That's what friends do. So don’t worry 'bout that," she said, hugging her tightly.
"Thank you, Lottie," Tia wiped her tears. Naveen held her hand tightly.
"Don’t despair, Tiana. I'll have my parents and everyone back home pray for a successful surgery and recovery. When someone in the royal family is sick, the whole nation prays."
"Thanks, Naveen. But what 'bout the business and Jamie? How's the restaurant gonna stay open if I'm gone? Naveen, you’re great with customers, but not so good with balancing the books. And I can't imagine you running the restaurant and raising our daughter alone."
"Tiana, our daughter is more important than the business. Yes, you worked hard for this restaurant. But if we gotta close it, I’d rather it be for our daughter than anything else."
"Naveen’s right, Tia. Your daughter's way more important than the restaurant."
"Y'all right, of course. We still gotta talk to my momma and figure out how to tell Jamie her momma's real sick."
No one noticed Jamie listening at the door. She didn’t understand everything, but she knew whatever happened at the doctor’s was real bad.
Jamie’s first instinct was to look up at the sky for Ray and Evangeline. When she saw them, she pleaded with them to help her momma. Whatever was wrong, please help her.
When Eudora found out her only child had cancer, she nearly lost it. The only thing keeping everyone from breaking down was Jamie. After many long hours of discussion, they figured out everything except how to tell Jamie. Finally, Tiana went to her daughter’s room with a heavy heart to break the news. "Jamie? Can we talk, please?"
Jamie rushed into her momma’s arms. "Momma! I know you’re sick! But I asked for help from Grandpa, Ray, and Evangeline! They’ll help you get better! They gotta!"
"Oh, sweetheart, it’s always good to ask for help. But wishing for something doesn’t make it come true, remember? But thank you for letting Grandpa and our friends know to look out for me."
"They have to make you better!" she repeated, hugging her sobbing daughter.
"Baby, sometimes bad things happen. You gotta be strong, Tadpole. Please be strong," Tiana pleaded.
"I'll be strong, Momma! I promise!" she said through tears.
"Good girl. Now remember, I'm always with you. Even if I'm not here, I’m with you here," she pointed to her daughter's heart. Nodding, they hugged again.
One week later, Tiana went in for her mastectomy. Practically all of New Orleans prayed for her. It took hours before she was wheeled into recovery. Thankfully, she survived the surgery. They had to do another biopsy to ensure they got all of it and check it hadn’t spread.
Once she was medically cleared, she began the long road to recovery. With her family and friends by her side, she knew she could make it. And she finally did, with their help.